Week 11: a few days off, hiking, desk, spending time, quantified self
Early spring, cleaning and how to organise, things I watched and read
A few days off
This week I actually took a few days off and spent time outside as much as I could. I did longer hikes and took some photos. Check them out here:
Hiking is weird these days, as most restaurants are still closed, it did not feel right to book a hotel somewhere for me, and it is still off-season in the Brandenburg areas where I did my hikes. In a fun way, I had to be self-sufficient, like in a multi-day hike in nowhereland. Walking through the forest and seeing how spring is coming and the color is shifting from grey-brown to brown and green is one of the best periods per year for me. It is like an explosion of life, and in a few weeks, when the leaves will “pop,” I love to be in the forest just listening to the sounds.
These days, many migratory birds were coming back and making stops on the still empty fields. If I were more interested in birds, I probably would have had some extra interesting walks. Check out some of the photos I took here.
What’s on my desk?
I got so used to being mobile and always taking everything with me all the time that I need to get used to having a permanent office again. I do not mean my “office” office but my home office. I used to have the books and my small paperwork and office stuff in a bag I would be carrying around the house and leave my books, gadgets, and cables all over the place in thematic shoe boxes.
While I was doing the spring cleaning of my stuff, I realized that I could significantly improve my shoebox approach by thinking micro-location and understanding our rooms' macro opportunities. This leads me to realize that our cabinets and boards are filled with things that I actually do not use anymore and stored them away. I guess this realization is good and bad: Good, because this will lead to me going through them and selling/ donating quite a lot of things over the next months and bad because I will have to make some tough decisions: What to let go of and what to keep. The twins will have a chance to earn some extra pocket money selling stuff.
How to spend your time
This is a universal topic for me and most likely many of us. There are so many things to do and also so many possibilities and opportunities. There are many schools and ideas on how to get things done/ find your purpose,/ recover your energy, and I, too, ask myself this question quite often. And as a reader, you also have to read through my texts and links about this super interesting topic.
Earlier this week, I talked to Peter, a friend who has achieved quite a lot in his life and always is an inspiration for me. We were actually meeting for a board-like meeting and were preparing our group discussion later. Over lunch, we talked about how to spend your time, and the challenge of finding the right timeframes to do your planning: when you plan too long-term white or black swans may happen. Your plans do not make sense anymore, or situations change, and everything needs to be adapted to the new situation.
And if the time span is too short, it is impossible to accommodate all dimensions that your life should have. There are countless books, videos, workshops, methods, and coaches, helping you get organized better. But since humanity is around for quite some time, people before us have already put many thoughts into the topic. Peter sent me a letter by Seneca to Lucilius written between the years 63 and 65 after Christ. Enjoy the read:
On Saving Time
Greetings from Seneca to his friend Lucilius.
1. Continue to act thus, my dear Lucilius – set yourself free for your own sake; gather and save your time, which till lately has been forced from you, or filched away, or has merely slipped from your hands. Make yourself believe the truth of my words, – that certain moments are torn from us, that some are gently removed, and that others glide beyond our reach. The most disgraceful kind of loss, however, is that due to carelessness. Furthermore, if you will pay close heed to the problem, you will find that the largest portion of our life passes while we are doing ill, a goodly share while we are doing nothing, and the whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose. 2. What man can you show me who places any value on his time, who reckons the worth of each day, who understands that he is dying daily? For we are mistaken when we look forward to death; the major portion of death has already passed. Whatever years lie behind us are in death's hands.
Therefore, Lucilius, do as you write me that you are doing: hold every hour in your grasp. Lay hold of to-day's task, and you will not need to depend so much upon to-morrow's. While we are postponing, life speeds by. 3. Nothing, Lucilius, is ours, except time. We were entrusted by nature with the ownership of this single thing, so fleeting and slippery that anyone who will can oust us from possession. What fools these mortals be! They allow the cheapest and most useless things, which can easily be replaced, to be charged in the reckoning, after they have acquired them; but they never regard themselves as in debt when they have received some of that precious commodity, – time! And yet time is the one loan which even a grateful recipient cannot repay.
4. You may desire to know how I, who preach to you so freely, am practising. I confess frankly: my expense account balances, as you would expect from one who is free-handed but careful. I cannot boast that I waste nothing, but I can at least tell you what I am wasting, and the cause and manner of the loss; I can give you the reasons why I am a poor man. My situation, however, is the same as that of many who are reduced to slender means through no fault of their own: every one forgives them, but no one comes to their rescue.
5. What is the state of things, then? It is this: I do not regard a man as poor, if the little which remains is enough for him. I advise you, however, to keep what is really yours; and you cannot begin too early. For, as our ancestors believed, it is too late to spare when you reach the dregs of the cask.[1] Of that which remains at the bottom, the amount is slight, and the quality is vile. Farewell.
Wikisource under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Takeaways?
We die every day, not “at the end.”
Time is precious, and ours to make the best of it.
Postponing and procrastination are wasting our time, and it is helpful to be aware of how we deal with our time. And many more.
Whoop experiences
Quantifying and measuring life, in my opinion, is weird but also fun. Whenever I can get more information about how my body works and how I can have a well-performing and sustainable lifestyle, I take the chance to get the insights and then see how this might change my life. When I discussed flow state and performance and rest with a friend, he recommended the whoop band.
I have been using Fitbits and other trackers since they exist and have been wearing an apple watch since it exists, and I have tried many other measurement tools. I find it interesting that Whoop is focused on finding out how to relax and regain your energy. After training hard or a day intense in other dimensions, it is supposed to tell me how to recharge my batteries best. For the first four days, it was working as a fitness tracker, and after the fourth night, there was enough data to start making sleep suggestions. So far, I have learned that I need more sleep than I get—one to two hours per day. I am not sure if I will be able to put this in every day. But maybe then my brain works better. I guess I will try and see how I feel.
Reading and watching
Book: Essentialism
I started to read the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown. Henric Hungerhof gave it to me as a gift. I have only read the first few pages. Finding the balance between focusing and being open to topics is one of the big struggles of my life. On the one hand, I know how much can be done when focussing on the essentials and the most important tasks. On the other hand, I also know what is possible when going through life with open eyes and an open mindset that allows me to connect with new people and topics. The big step changes in my life have all happened through the input I got through moments of serendipity. Let’s see if reading more of the book will help me develop a clearer attitude towards focussing on the essentials of life.
Video: Van Neistad
Today I watched a Casey Neistadt Youtube Video about his brother. This video is super excellent storytelling, in my opinion. Check it and also his brother Van’s video “The Spirited Man” out.
Read: Don’t hire for culture fit. Consider these 3 factors instead.
When building a great team, Carson Conant has some helpful thoughts on what to look for in people.
And this is about it. I did not read and watch so much this week being outdoors. I also sis not listen to podcasts this week as much as I usually do.
Thank you for reading, and please share with friends if you find my weekly email helpful.
Have a great weekend and next week
Joerg